Figure 1.--Here is one view of a Greek classroom. This picture is from a fascinating 1979 book titled 'An Ancient Greek Town' by R.J. Unstead. It's from a 'See Inside' series of educational books--an especially good resource for school libraries. We are not sure how accurate the depictions here are. The text for the illustration is as follows: "In the classroom. Boys were taken to school each morning by a slave known as the paidagogos. (Our word pedagogue, teacher, comes from this ancient Greek word). As you can see there were no desks. Their 'pen' had one sharp end, for writing on their wax tablets and a rounded end for rubbing out. As well as reading, writing and counting (with an abacus), boys learned music and poetry, and reciting poetry while playing the lyre. They also studied dancing. Boys left school at the age of 15."

HBC has little information on ancient Greece. Historians report the ancient Greeks considered children to be miniature adults. There is no indication that the Greeks regarded children as anything different from small-sized adults. By the time a child was about 13 years old, he or she was considered an adult citizen in every respect. Alexander was, for example, involved in military engagements at age 12. There were differences from city to city, especially with Sparta. There were, however, many similarities. Boys and girls were reared very differently. Plato discusses the education of children in The Republic. Boys were educated separately for their future responsibilities as citizens of the state. Women had a different role and have been described as little above slaves. Girls were informally educated in the home by their mothers. Children of both genders often wore no clothing at all when they were very young. There does not appear to have been any specialized garments for children before they began wearing adult garments. Boys spent a lot of time naked in athletic training.

Chronology

The democratic city state is the concept that most have of ancient Greece. This was, however, only one phase of Greece history. Greeks in the Mycenean age were organized into small, waring kingdoms. This era is not well understood. The Greek kingdoms appear to have collapsed and the populations abandoned urban centers about 1200 and 1100 BC. For a long period of about 400-500 years, Greeks society was based in tribal groups. Some but not all of the tribes shifted to a nomadic lifestyle. Some historians call this era the Greek Dark Age. The Greek tribl grouos by about 700 BC had begun to coalese into larger political groupings. Trade linkiages between these groups increased in inortance. To accoimodate the growing trade, marketplaces began to appear in villages and the evolving political structures came to be called a polis or city state.Greece during the Classical period was composed of independent city-states, the largest and most important was Athens, followed by Sparta and Thebes. Although these city states were relatively small a fierce spirit of independence and desire for freedom enabled the Greeks to defeat the massive Persian armies and navies in some of the most notable battles in human history. The Greeks, led by Alexander the Great, conquered most of the then known world and proceeded to Hellenize large areas of the easter Mediterrean. Greece in 146 BC fell to the Romans. Large numbers of Greeks were enslaved. Many wealthy Greeks used learned Greek slaves to teach their children. The Emperor Constantine in 330 AD moved the Capital of the Roman Empire to Constantinople, founding the Eastern Roman Empire which was to become known as the Byzantine Empire or Byzantium. One of Byzantium's many achievements was to transform the linguistic and cultural heritage of Ancient Greece into a vehicle for the new Christian civilization.

City States

Greece was divided into a number of different independent city states. A Greek city state was known as the "polis". These ciy states were an important political innovation with began to appear about 800 BC. These city states appeared on the Greek peninsula, the mainland, and the coast of Asia Minor or modern Turkey. Each important Greek city was an independent state. They controlled varrying territories around their city. There were alliances and associations between these cities. Many founded colonies. The dominate city state for much of Greek history was Athens. Although Athens was of enormous impact to western civilization, it and the other city states were not large. Athens was the largest and at the height of its power had a population of only 0.2 million. Thebes and Sparta were also important and there were several other smaller city states. Many modern concepts of ancient Greece are based on available information about Athens. There were many similarities between the different cities of the Greek world. There were, however, important differences. Sparta contrasted sharply with Athens and the rest of the Greek city states. Sparta was the largest of the city states in area, but not in population. It was militarily important because of its social structure. While a few city states were well known. There were as many as 1,500 such entities, many extremely small and would hardly be seen as cities or even towns in modern terms.

Concept of Childhood

HBC has little information on ancient Greece. Historians report the ancient Greeks considered children to be miniature adults. There is no indication that the Greeks regarded children as anything different from small-sized adults. By the time a child was about 13 years old, he or she was considered an adult citizen in every respect. Alexander was, for example, involved in military engagements at age 12.

Gender

Boys and girls were reared very differently. Plato discusses the education of children in The Republic. Boys were educated separately for their future responsibilities as citizens of the state. Women had a different role and have been described as little above slaves. Girls were informally educated in the home by their mothers.

Education

Just as there were differences between Greek city states, there were also differences in approached to education. The Spartan educational system, in particular, was very different. The educational program that proved the most influential was that of Athens. The basic divusion of oprimary and secondary education is the same basic system used today. School was not mandatory in Athens, but most boys attended primary school. Interestingly it was the Athenian system of educatioin that served as the basis for the formal Roman educational system which developed in the mid-2nd century after the Roman conquest of Greece.

Clothing

Greeks wore very simple clothing. Linen clothing was common in the summer and woolen clothing in the winter. Clothing was mostly made in the home by the mother, daughters, and female slaves. Garments included simple tunics and warm cloaks, made of linen or wool. They we often dyed bright colors, but bleached white garments were also worn. Decorations were often distinctive to each city state. One garment created by the Greeks was the broad-brimmed hat. Some clothing historians believe that the Greek "petasos" was the first true hat--headwear with a complete brim. It was worn mostly hen traveling. It had a hin strap and could be worn hanging down the back. Children of both genders often wore no clothing at all when they were very young. There does not appear to have been any specialized garments for children before they began wearing adult garments. Boys spent a lot of time naked in athletic training.

Hair Styles

Greeks like other ancient peoples gave considerable attention to their hair. They curled their hair and arranged it in intricate styles. Prfumed waxes and lotions were used to style hair. Greek men wore short hair. Beards were common, although soldiers usually shaved so as not to give enemies something that couldbe grabbd. The barber shop was an important social institution in Greece. It was at the barber shop that Greek men discussed popuar topics. Some were the same as discussed today, such as politics, news, and sports. Philosophy was also widely discused. I am not sure how boys wore their hair. Greek women wore their hair long. Often the long hair was braided which were both coiled on the head or wore in ponytails. Greek women commonly or ribbon or metal hairbands. Greeks mostly had dark hair. Blond hair was considerd attractive. Some women bleached their hair. I'm not sure how girls wore their hair.

Mythology

Greek mythology has played a major role in Greek culture and through it the development of both Roman and Christian culture. Some art historians believe that a basic understanding of mythology, especially Greek mythology, is esential to understand Western art, nusic and literature. These images of gods are an important reflection of a society's concept of the universe and life. [Leeming]

Drama

Drama was an important literary form in the classical era. Theater was popular ancient Greece. I'm not sure about its origins. Some of these plays have survived to the modern age, but tragically many Greek plays are lost. We have tragedies by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides from the Greek period. Probably the most famous of these is "Oedipus Rex" (Oedipus the King)--a tragedy about a royal figure who unwittingly killed his own father and committed incest with his mother, then put his own eyes out when he learned of the horrors he had committed. Aristotle wrote a famous critical work, entitled The Poetics, in which he holds up the "Oedipus Rex" of Sophocles as the ideal tragedy, the example to be imitated. Greek dramatists competed with each other in play-writing contests, the winner being highly honored. The plays were often performed at a pagan festival such as the Feast Day of Dionysus. The actors performed using large masks through which they spoke to outdoor audiences seated, usually, in amphitheatres with seats in a semicircle and rising row by row (as in a modern stadium). The masks (in Latin referred to as "personae") functioned as megaphones as well as helping audiences to distinguish characters from each other. Hence our modern term, "Dramatis Personae" (meaning the list of characters in a play), derives from the use of actors using masks during performance. Greek theater faced a number of technical problems, especially the challenge of sound and light. The Greeks thus performed their dramas outdoors in specially designed ampitheaters with semi-circular tiered seating. As far as I know, children were very little involved in Greek drama.

Sources

Leaming, David. From Olympus to Camelot: The World of Europeam Mythology (Oxford University Press, 2003), 210p.

Sealey, Raphael. History of the Greek City States (University of California Press, 1977).

Unstead, R.J.An Ancient Greek Town (Grieswood and Dempsey, 1979). This waspart of the "See Inside series" of educational books.